By David Kilby|Correspondent

In his 44 years of ordained ministry, Father Patrick Castles made sure he shared the blessing of being in the first class of Second Vatican Council priests.

“Being a seminarian in the 1960s was very exhilarating,” Father Castles said, adding that his class was, as Bishop Ahr described, the first class of seminarians in the diocese to be completely instructed in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.

What he learned as part of that class has formed his priestly ministry and has had a profound impact on the St. John the Baptist Parish, Allentown, community, where Father Castles has served as pastor for 13 years. On June 22, following a retirement Mass celebrated by Father Castles, the St. John’s Knights of Columbus Council and parishioners celebrated again with a reception for their beloved retiring priest.

Father Castles, 70, was born in New Brunswick, and attended St. Paul School, Highland Park. He studied for the priesthood in St. Charles College, Catonsville, Md., and then continued in St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore.

While in the seminary, he served summer assignments in St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton; St. Catherine Parish, Middletown, and St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville. One summer, he said, he worked for the Anti-Poverty Agency, which was part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty.

He was ordained a priest in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton by Bishop George W. Ahr May 31, 1969, the same year as Pope Francis, he noted.

“There was a lot of unrest going on that time,” he said, mentioning Martin Luther King’s assassination and the protests against the Vietnam War.

His first main assignment as a priest was in Sacred Heart Parish, South Plainfield, where he served the community of 3,500 families as parochial vicar from July 1969 to August 1975. At the time, the parish – now part of Metuchen Diocese – was the largest in the Diocese of Trenton, he said.

“They really responded in a very positive way to the renewal of the liturgy. By that time all the liturgy was in English,” he said, adding that for the first time many of the Sacred Heart parishioners participated as lectors and ministers.

“It was now no longer just the priest’s Mass,” he said. “It became everyone’s. Now you had a community worshiping together as one.”

Father Castle’s next assignment was serving for a year as parochial vicar in St. Dominic Parish, Brick, where he began teaching adult education. The people were hungry to have a better understanding of their faith, he said.

When he transferred to St. Joseph Parish, Beverly, in 1976 he recalled having the privilege of working with Father William Barna, who Father Castles described as “saintly, just a great priest.

“He was simply down to earth. He reached out to the needy in the parish. It wasn’t a very wealthy parish but if there was someone in need, even though the parish didn’t have much money, he always believed the Church should help out someone in need, something Pope Francis is always talking about,” Father Castles said of Father Barna.

Father Castles served in St. Joseph Parish for five years.

An unexpected opportunity came in 1980, when the University of California at Davis asked Father Castles to be the director of the Newman Center there. Though he was perplexed by the phone call, he said yes to the offer and served the students there for five years.

“They had their own chapel, 600 students for Mass on the weekend,” he said. “Students took part in the liturgy, singing, reading. In the RCIA program, one year we had 10 candidates. Students were really hungry to renew their faith. These were the cream of the crop, the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class.”

Upon his return to the Diocese of Trenton, Father Castles was appointed pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, in October, 1985. He remained there until 2000, when he was named pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish.

Many of St. John’s parishioners, especially members of the Knights of Columbus Council that Father Castles helped revitalize, had only positive things to say about the priest’s pastorate there.

“He was very instrumental in getting us started,” said parishioner Joe Gendron, referring to Father Castles’ role in helping the parish’s Knights of Columbus Council. “He never said no to us, made everything available to us, and the Knights got along really well with him. He was always in our corner.”

“It was (Father Castles’) foresight that saw the potential of the men of St. John’s,” parishioner Bob Diszler said. “His dedication to us was so appreciated. He allowed us to use the St. John’s facilities for all of our many events. We are all so thankful that he brought us together.”

“In his time at St. John, Father Pat has blessed my family with friendship and support,” parishioner Rob McLaughlin said, “conferring all of my children’s sacraments, enlightening us with his sermons, and gracing us with his presence at our dinner table. We wish him nothing but happiness in his well-deserved retirement.”

Parishioner Pat Christenson emphasized how Father Castles often went above and beyond to meet the specific needs of individual parishioners. She recalled a time when he celebrated Baptism for her ill grandchild, paying special attention to the needs of the vulnerable infant.

Parishioner Maria Phillips confirmed Father Castles attention to each family, recalling that he included customs of her Filipino heritage in her daughter’s personalized wedding. She also said she loved his homilies and learned a great deal, especially about the Old Testament, from them.

“He easily assimilated into our parish, respecting our long traditions, while adding his personal touches and enrichments,” parishioner Chris Kniesler said. “While Father Pat’s conversations were light and friendly, his sermons always combine the historic context with current relevance.”

Parishioner Ken Krewson said Father Castles often reached out to fellow Christian brothers and sisters in the Allentown community.

“Three specific instances I recall are the interdenominational Stations of the Cross during Lent, the prayer service in St. John’s for the closing ceremony of Villages in Partnership’s Water Walk, and his speaking at the closing ceremonies of the Allentown Memorial Day Parade,” Krewson said.

In addition to his pastoral duties, Father Castles served on the diocesan Liturgical Commission, Council of Priests and Social Concerns Committee.

Father Castles said in his retirement he’ll do a great deal of reading. His garage in his retirement home in Wildwood has become a library, he added.

Father Castles added that he also plans to help out with Masses and other liturgical celebrations in Notre Dame de la Mer (Our Lady of the Sea) Parish, Wildwood.